the spanish continues

Tender Mercy #21:

Coming across random moments to speak Spanish has been so delightful.  I wrote about my Spanish Sabbath moments with some rogue roofers yesterday, but I've had several opportunities to use my Spanish training while here in DC.  Here are a few recent examples:

I could tell that a couple at the crowded checkout stand across from mine was having some difficulties, but I couldn't hear what was going on.  The bagger girl came over to me and asked if I spoke French or Spanish - why she came to me first I wasn't sure...it may be because I was the only white person in the store and there was a chance I was French or Spanish?  No idea.  But, nonetheless, she approached me to enlist my help.  I followed her over to the other checkout stand and asked the couple what I could do for them.  They were thrilled to see me.  The woman was French but spoke fluent Spanish as well.  She was trying to return a pair of socks that her husband never wore and didn't really need.  (Who knew that Safeway sold socks?) I explained as much to the cashier and all went smoothly after that.  The couple was adorably grateful, it made me feel so good to have helped.

On the steps of the Capitol Building four young men approached me and my friend as we were on a leisurely walk through the city.  They introduced themselves using very broken English and explained that they were tourists from Argentina and needed some help.  When I responded to them, in Spanish, that I lived in Argentina for a long time and would love to help them, they almost passed out from the relief.  They couldn't believe it...and, frankly, neither could I.  It had been so long since I chatted with a native Argentinian.  I melted as I listened to their familiar accents and endearing slang that was so common in Buenos Aires.  And it didn't hurt that they were extremely cute ;)  The help they were seeking was to find out what to do at night in DC.  I told them that I wasn't the best girl to tell them about DC's nightlife because I go to bed before the sun does ;)  We chatted for a while and as I was just about to bid them farewell, one of them asked if we would like to go get a drink or something and spend the evening with them.  I thanked them for their kind, and tempting, offer but explained that my friend and I would just rather continue our walk.  They were a little embarrassed, but took the rejection very sweetly. If alcohol hadn't been involved, who knows...I may have accepted just to continue speaking in Spanish and having cute guys flirt with me, telling me how much they love my accent.  But that wouldn't have been right, right?  Wait a second...why didn't I accept?!!!

One morning I was passing a little woman on the street and she had about a million bags in her hand, all overflowing and looking like they weighed more than she did.  I could tell she was on her way to the metro stop and I asked if I could help.  She accepted, I took some of her bags which were the heaviest things on earth and I have no idea how she even moved with all of them.  We started chatting and I noticed she spoke English with a Spanish accent, so I just went into Spanish.  We had a delightful conversation all the way to our train.

The tech guy at my work is from Mexico and when I need his help I love to break out the Spanish and learn new vocabulary words like "contraseña" for password and...well, I can't remember any more right now so it looks like yo necesito practicar mas!

Here is a photo of the night I met the four Argentine hotties...sorry, they're not in the picture ;) but the Washington, DC Monument is...but it's a really horrible photo of it (sorry Jenny, another cell shot).  And even though many people here keep calling this monument the ultimate phallus, that's not my intension so stop thinking that right now.  And if you weren't thinking it, forgive me, I'm sorry I mentioned it :)